The company offers several fixed-rate plans that set no limit on calling if the calls remain under a certain time.
"We feel this is an important innovation that will assist the consumer," said Patrick McGranahan, Hawaiian Wireless' director of sales and marketing.
For $64.95 a month, customers can make as many calls as they want under three minutes each without incurring extra charges, the company said. Similar plans at lesser rates are offered for two- and one-minute thresholds.
Unlike the new personal communications services carriers that have entered Hawaii's market, Hawaiian Wireless also offers a nationwide roaming capacity that enables customers to use their hand-held phones wherever they go. That's because the phones that Hawaiian Wireless uses have the capability to operate on traditional analog systems - the type Hawaii's longtime cellular carriers have. The phones are provided at no extra charge.
Starting Feb. 15, Hawaiian Wireless customers who travel to the neighbor islands, the mainland or Canada can use their phones by switching them to the analog setting, McGranahan said.
Hawaiian Wireless, which was formed by Providence, R.I.-based Atlantic Cellular, has so-called roaming agreements with cellular carriers elsewhere that allow for the switching between systems, he said.
Hawaiian Wireless' digital service is handled at a lower bandwidth frequency than the PCS carriers, making the interchange between digital and analog easier to do, McGranahan said. It is the first company in the nation to offer digital service at 850 megahertz, typically used for specialized mobile radios, he added. PCS firms use the 1900 MHz range on the radio-wave spectrum.
To the consumer, McGranahan said, the difference between the two systems won't be noticeable.
The company said it is targeting small business customers.
The entry of Hawaiian Wireless into Oahu's already crowded mobile phone market gives consumers here yet another choice, contributing to the competitive pressures that have led to lower rates and improved services.